Inductive Load Power Switching Circuits

ABSTRACT

Power switching circuits including an inductive load and a switching device are described. The switches devices can be either low-side or high-side switches. Some of the switches are transistors that are able to block voltages or prevent substantial current from flowing through the transistor when voltage is applied across the transistor.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser.No. 61/099,451, filed on Sep. 23, 2008. The disclosure of the priorapplication is considered part of and is incorporated by reference inthe disclosure of this application.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates to power switching circuits, specifically onesfor which an inductive load is used.

BACKGROUND

A single-sided switch is a switching configuration where a switchingdevice is used either to connect the load to a node at a lowerpotential—a “low-side” switch—or to a node at a higher potential—a“high-side” switch. The low-side configuration is shown in FIG. 1 a, andthe high-side configuration is shown in FIG. 2 a, where the node athigher potential is represented by a high voltage (HV) source and thenode at lower potential is represented by a ground terminal. In bothcases, when the load 10 is an inductive load, a freewheeling diode 11(sometimes referred to as a flyback diode) is required to provide a pathfor the freewheeling load current when the switching device is OFF. Forexample, as seen in FIG. 1 b, when the switching device 12 is biasedhigh by applying a gate-source voltage V_(gs) greater than the devicethreshold voltage V_(th), current 13 flows through the load 10 andthrough switching device 12, and diode 11 is reverse biased such that nosignificant current passes through it. When switching device 12 isswitched to low by applying a gate-source voltage V_(gs)<V_(th), asshown in FIG. 1 c, the current passing through the inductive load 10cannot terminate abruptly, and so current 13 flows through the load 10and through diode 11, while no significant current flows throughswitching device 12. Similar diagrams detailing current flow through thehigh-side switching configuration when the switch is biased high andwhen the switch is turned off (switched low) are shown in FIGS. 2 b and2 c, respectively.

Ideally, the freewheeling diodes 11 used in the circuits of FIGS. 1 and2 have low conduction loss in the ON state as well as good switchingcharacteristics to minimize transient currents during switching,therefore Schottky diodes are commonly used. However, for someapplications Schottky diodes cannot support large enough reverse-biasvoltages, so high-voltage diodes which exhibit higher conduction andswitching losses must be used. Switching devices 12, which are usuallytransistors, may be enhancement mode (normally off, V_(th)>0), alsoknown as E-mode, or depletion mode (normally on, V_(th)<0), also knownas D-mode, devices. In power circuits, enhancement mode devices aretypically used to prevent accidental turn on, in order to avoid damageto the devices or other circuit components. A key issue with thecircuits in FIGS. 1 and 2 is that most high voltage diodes typicallyexhibit high conduction and switching loss. Further, reverse recoverycurrents in high-voltage PIN diodes add to the losses of the transistor.

An alternative to the configurations illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 is toinstead use synchronous rectification, as illustrated in FIGS. 3 a-e.FIG. 3 a is the same as FIG. 2 a, except that a high-voltagemetal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) transistor 61 is included anti-parallelwith diode 11. A standard MOS transistor inherently contains ananti-parallel parasitic diode and can therefore be represented as atransistor 62 anti-parallel to a diode 63, as illustrated in FIG. 3 a.As seen in FIG. 3 b, when switching device 12 is biased high and MOStransistor 61 is biased low, MOS transistor 61 and diode 11 both block avoltage equal to that across the load, so that the entire current 13flows through the load 10 and through switching device 12. Whenswitching device 12 is switched to low, as shown in FIG. 3 c, diode 11prevents transistor 62 and parasitic diode 63 from turning on byclamping the gate-drain voltage to a value less than V_(th) of thetransistor and less then the turn-on voltage of the parasitic diode.Therefore, almost all of the freewheeling current flows through diode11, while only a small, insignificant portion flows through thetransistor channel and parasitic diode. As shown in FIG. 3 d, MOS device61 may then be biased high, which results in an increase in the channelconductivity of transistor 62 and thereby cause the majority of thefreewheeling current to flow through the transistor channel. However,some dead time must be provided between turn-off of switching device 12and turn-on of transistor 62 in order to avoid shoot-through currentsfrom the high-voltage supply (HV) to ground. Therefore, diode 11 will beturned on for some time immediately after switching device 12 isswitched from high to low and immediately before switching device 12 isswitched back from low to high. While this reduces the conduction lossesincurred by diode 11 in the absence of MOS transistor 61, the fullswitching loss for diode 11 is incurred, regardless of how long thediode remains on.

As shown in FIG. 3 e, the circuit in FIGS. 3 a-d can in principleoperate without diode 11. In this case, parasitic diode 63 performs thesame function that diode 11 performed in the circuit of FIGS. 3 a-d.However, the parasitic diode 63 typically has much poorer switchingcharacteristics and suffers from higher switching losses than a standardhigh-voltage diode, resulting in increased power loss, so the circuit ofFIGS. 3 a-d is usually preferred.

Many power switching circuits contain one or more high-side or low-sideswitches. One example is the boost-mode power-factor correction circuitshown in FIG. 4 a, which contains a low-side switch. This circuit isused at the input end in AC-to-DC voltage conversion circuits. Theconfiguration for the low-side switch in this circuit is slightlymodified from that shown in FIG. 1 a, since in FIG. 1 a the freewheelingdiode 11 is connected anti-parallel to the inductive load 10, whereas inthis circuit the freewheeling diode 11 is between the inductive load 30and the output capacitor 35. However, the fundamental operatingprinciples of the two circuits are the same. As seen in FIG. 4 b, whenswitching device 12 is biased high, current 13 passes through the load30 and through the switching device 12. The voltage at the cathode endof the freewheeling diode 11 is kept sufficiently high by the outputcapacitor 35 so that the freewheeling diode 11 is reverse-biased, andthereby does not have any significant current passing through it. Asseen in FIG. 4 c, when switching device 12 is switched low, the inductorforces the voltage at the anode of the freewheeling diode 11 to besufficiently high such that the freewheeling diode 11 is forward biased,and the current 13 then flows through the inductive load 30, thefreewheeling diode 11, and the output capacitor 35. Because nosignificant current can flow in the reverse direction in a diode, diode11 prevents discharge of the output capacitor 35 through switchingdevice 12 during times where the load current is zero or negative, ascan occur if the energy stored in the inductor 30 is completelytransferred out before the commencement of the next switching cycle.

SUMMARY

In one aspect, a switch is described that includes a first switchingdevice in series with an assembly comprising a load and a secondswitching device, the first switching device including a first channel,the second switching device including a second channel, wherein in afirst mode of operation the second switching device is capable ofblocking a voltage applied across the second switching device in a firstdirection, in a second mode of operation a substantial current flowsthrough the second channel of the second switching device when a voltageis applied across the second switching device in a second direction anda gate of the second switching device is biased below a thresholdvoltage of the second switching device, and in a third mode of operationa substantial current flows through the second channel of the secondswitching device when a voltage is applied across the second switchingdevice in the second direction and the gate of the second switchingdevice is biased above the threshold voltage of the second switchingdevice.

The switch or the assembly can be free of any diodes.

In another aspect, a method of operating a switch is described. At afirst time, a gate of a first switching device of a switch is biasedhigher than a threshold voltage of the first switching device and a gateof a second switching device is biased lower than a threshold voltage ofthe second switching device, allowing current to flow from a highvoltage side of the switch to a low voltage or ground side of the switchthrough the load. At a second time immediately following the first time,a bias on the gate of the first switching device is changed to be lowerthan the threshold voltage of the first switching device, causing thesecond switching device to operate in diode mode and blocking currentfrom flowing to ground. At a third time immediately following the secondtime, a bias on the gate of the second switching device is changed to behigher than the threshold voltage of the second switching device,wherein changing the bias at the third time reduces conduction loss incomparison to switch operation between the second time and the thirdtime.

In another aspect, a boost-mode power-factor correction circuit isdescribed. The circuit includes a first switching device comprising afirst channel, an inductive load, a capacitor, and a second switchingdevice comprising a second channel, wherein the first switching deviceis connected to a node between the inductive load and a floating gatedrive circuit, the second switching device is configured to be connectedto the floating gate drive circuit, and the second switching device isbetween the inductive load and the capacitor.

In yet another aspect, a method of operating the boost-mode power-factorcorrection circuit is described. The method includes causing a loadcurrent through the inductive load to be continuous; at a first time,biasing a gate of the first switching device higher than a thresholdvoltage of the first switching device and biasing a gate of the secondswitching device lower than a threshold voltage of the second switchingdevice, allowing current to flow through the first switching device; ata second time immediately following the first time, changing a bias onthe gate of the first switching device to be lower than the thresholdvoltage of the first switching device, causing the first switchingdevice to operate in blocking mode and the second switching device tooperate in diode mode, allowing current to flow through the secondswitching device; at a third time immediately following the second time,changing a bias on the gate of the second switching device to be higherthan the threshold voltage of the second switching device, whereinchanging the bias at the third time reduces conduction loss incomparison to switch operation between the second time and the thirdtime.

In another aspect, a method of operating the boost-mode power-factorcorrection circuit is described. The method includes causing a loadcurrent through the inductive load to be discontinuous, sensing the loadcurrent, and when the load current approaches zero, changing a bias on agate of the second switching device from a voltage higher than athreshold voltage of the second switching device to a voltage lower thanthe threshold voltage of the second switching.

In yet another aspect a method of operating the boost-mode power-factorcorrection circuit is described. The method includes sensing a loadcurrent passing through the inductive load, causing the load current toapproach zero and immediately increase after approaching zero, and whenthe load current approaches zero, switching the second switching devicefrom on to off and switching the first switching device from off to on.

In some embodiments, the following features are present. The first modeof operation can comprise biasing the gate of the first switching deviceabove a threshold voltage of the first switching device. The second modeof operation can comprise biasing the gate of the first switching devicebelow a threshold voltage of the first switching device. The firstswitching device can have a first terminal and a second terminal onopposite sides of the gate, and the first terminal can be adjacent tothe assembly and at a higher voltage than the second terminal of thefirst switching device during operation. The first switching device canhave a first terminal and a second terminal on opposite sides of thegate, and the first terminal can be adjacent to the assembly and at alower voltage than the second terminal of the first switching deviceduring operation. A first node can be between the assembly and the firstswitching device, a second node can be at a high voltage side of theswitch, and the second switching device can be capable of blocking avoltage when voltage at the first node is lower than voltage at thesecond node. A first node can be between the assembly and the firstswitching device, a second node can be at a low voltage or ground sideof the switch, and the second switching device can be capable ofblocking a voltage when voltage at the first node is higher than voltageat the second node. The second switching device can be capable ofblocking a same voltage as the first switching device is capable ofblocking The second switching device can be capable of blocking voltagein two directions. When the gate of the first switching device is biasedlower than a threshold voltage of the first switching device, the secondswitching device can be capable of conducting current. When the gate ofthe first switching device is biased lower than the threshold voltage ofthe first switching device, substantially all current can flow through asingle primary channel of the second switching device. When the gate ofthe second switching device is biased higher than the threshold voltageof the second switching device, the voltage drop across the secondswitching device can be reduced as compared to when the gate of thesecond switching device is biased lower than the threshold voltage ofthe second switching device. The second switching device can have apositive threshold voltage. The first switching device can have apositive threshold voltage. The second switching device can be a HEMT.The second switching device can be a III-Nitride HEMT. The firstswitching device can be a HEMT. The first switching device can be aIII-Nitride HEMT. The second switching device can be structurally thesame as the first switching device. A voltage drop across the secondswitching device can be smaller in the third mode of operation ascompared to in the second mode of operation. The load can be aninductive load. The first switching device or the second switchingdevice can comprise a high-voltage depletion mode device and alow-voltage enhancement mode device, the second channel can be a channelof the high-voltage depletion mode device, and the threshold voltage ofthe second switching device can be a threshold voltage of thelow-voltage enhancement mode device. The low-voltage enhancement modedevice can at least block a voltage equal to an absolute value of athreshold voltage of the high-voltage depletion mode device. Thehigh-voltage depletion mode device can be a III-Nitride HEMT. Thelow-voltage enhancement mode device can be a III-Nitride HEMT. Thelow-voltage enhancement mode device can be a Si MOS device. The devicecan include a diode connected antiparallel to the low-voltageenhancement mode device. The first switching device can comprise ahigh-voltage depletion mode device and a low-voltage enhancement modedevice, the first channel can be a channel of the high-voltage depletionmode device, and a threshold voltage of the first switching device canbe a threshold voltage of the low-voltage enhancement mode device.

Boost-mode power-factor correction circuits can include one or more ofthe following features. The first switching device can be a III-N HEMT.The second switching device can be a III-N HEMT.

Operating a boost-mode power-factor correction circuit can includecausing a load current through the inductive load to be discontinuous,sensing the load current, and when the load current approaches zero,changing a bias on a gate of the second switching device from a voltagehigher than a threshold voltage of the second switching device to avoltage lower than the threshold voltage of the second switching device.A load current passing through the inductive load, causing the loadcurrent to approach zero and immediately increase after approaching zerois sensed. When the load current approaches zero, the second switchingdevice is switched from on to off and the first switching device isswitched from off to on.

Methods described herein may include one or more of the followingfeatures or steps. Changing the bias at the third time can reduceconduction loss in comparison to switch operation at the second time.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1 a-c show schematics of a low-side switch, and current paths forvarious bias conditions.

FIGS. 2 a-c show schematics of a high-side switch, and current paths forvarious bias conditions.

FIGS. 3 a-e show schematics of high-side switches with a MOSFETconnected across the inductive load, and current paths for various biasconditions.

FIGS. 4 a-c show schematics of a boost-mode power-factor correctioncircuit and current paths for various bias conditions.

FIGS. 5 a-d show schematics of a low-side switch, along with currentpaths for various bias conditions.

FIG. 5 e shows a biasing scheme for the switching devices in thecircuits of FIGS. 5 a-d.

FIGS. 6 a-d show schematics of a high-side switch, along with currentpaths for various bias conditions.

FIG. 6 e shows a biasing scheme for the switching devices in thecircuits of FIGS. 6 a-d.

FIG. 7 shows a schematic of a low-side switch.

FIGS. 8 a-d show schematics of a boost-mode power-factor correctioncircuit, along with current paths for various bias conditions.

FIG. 8 e shows a biasing scheme for the switching devices in thecircuits of FIGS. 8 a-d.

FIGS. 9 a-c show the input current as a function of time for variousoperating conditions for the circuit in FIG. 8.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Low-side and high-side switches and the circuits which they comprise,wherein the freewheeling diode shown in FIGS. 1-3 is replaced by aswitching device, such as a transistor, are described below. Embodimentsare shown in FIGS. 5 a and 6 a, wherein FIG. 5 a comprises a low-sideswitch, and FIG. 6 a comprises a high-side switch. In FIGS. 5 a and 6 a,the freewheeling diode used in the circuits of FIGS. 1 and 2 has beenreplaced by switching device 41. In some embodiments, this device may bethe same as the switching device 42 used to modulate the current path.FIGS. 5 b and 6 b illustrate the current path when switching device 42is biased ON (high) and switching device 41 is biased OFF (low). FIGS. 5c and 6 c illustrate the current path when switching device 42 isswitched OFF. Switching device 41 can be an enhancement mode device,where the threshold voltage V_(th)>0, or a depletion mode device, wherethe threshold voltage V_(th)<0. In high power applications, it isdesirable to use enhancement mode devices with threshold voltages aslarge as possible, such as V_(th)>2V or V_(th)>3V, a high internalbarrier from source to drain at 0 bias (such as 0.5-2 eV), a highON-to-OFF current ratio (such as >10⁵), along with high breakdownvoltage (600/1200 Volts) and low on resistance (<5 or <10 mohm-cm² for600/1200 V respectively).

Additionally, switching device 41 must have the followingcharacteristics. It must be able to block significant voltage when thevoltage at terminal 45/55 is lower than the voltage at terminal 46/56.This condition occurs when switching device 42 is biased high, as shownin FIGS. 5 b and 6 b. As used herein, “blocking a voltage” refers to theability of a transistor to prevent a current that is greater than 0.0001times the operating current during regular conduction from flowingthrough the transistor when a voltage is applied across the transistor.In other words, while a transistor is blocking a voltage which isapplied across it, the total current passing through the transistor willnot be greater than 0.0001 times the operating current during regularconduction. As used herein, “substantial current” includes any currentwhich is at least ten percent of the operating current during regularconduction. The maximum voltage that switching device 41 must be able toblock depends on the particular circuit application, but in general willbe the same or very close to the maximum blocking voltage specified forswitching device 42. In some embodiments, switching device 41 is able toblock voltage in both directions. When switching device 42 is switchedOFF, switching device 41 must be capable of conducting current 13 in thedirection shown in FIGS. 5 c and 6 c. Furthermore, when the circuit isbiased such as shown in FIG. 5 c or 6 c, all substantial current throughswitching device 41 flows through a single, primary channel of thedevice, wherein the conductivity of this channel may be modulated by thegate electrode. This is different from the circuits in FIGS. 3 a-3 e,for which applying a voltage signal to the gate electrode of device 61causes the current to shift from one channel (that of diode 11 or 63) tothat of the transistor 62. The maximum current that switching device 41must be able to conduct in this direction depends on the particularcircuit application, but in general will be the same or very close tothe maximum current specified for switching device 42. In someembodiments, the switching devices are able to conduct current in bothdirections.

The detailed operation of the circuit in FIG. 5 is as follows. Whenswitching device 42 is biased ON, such as by setting the gate-sourcevoltage V_(GS42) greater than the device threshold voltage V_(th42), andswitching device 41 is biased OFF, such as by setting V_(GS41)<V_(th41),current 13 flows through inductive load 10 and switching device 42, asseen in FIG. 5 b. Here, switching device 41 is said to be in “blockingmode”, as it is supporting a voltage across it while at the same timeblocking current from flowing through it, i.e., device 41 is blockingvoltage. As shown in FIG. 5 c, when switching device 42 is switched OFF,the current through the inductive load 10 cannot change abruptly, so thevoltage at terminal 45 is forced sufficiently high to allow thefreewheeling current 13 to be carried through switching device 41. Notethat in this mode of operation, current is able to flow throughswitching device 41 even if V_(GS41) is not changed. This mode ofoperation for switching device 41 is known as “diode mode operation”.The circuit of FIG. 5 may be preferable to that of FIG. 1 becausetransistors suitable for use in this application typically have lowerconduction and switching losses than diode 11.

Depending on the current level and the threshold voltage of switchingdevice 41, the power dissipation through this device could beunacceptably high when operating in the diode mode. In this case, alower power mode of operation may be achieved by applying a voltageV_(GS41)>V_(th41) to the gate of switching device 41, as shown in FIG. 5d. To prevent shoot-through currents from the high-voltage supply (HV)to ground, gate signals of the form shown in FIG. 5 e are applied. Thetime during which switching device 42 is ON and switching device 41 isOFF is labeled “C” in FIG. 5 e. This corresponds to the mode ofoperation shown in FIG. 5 b. When switching device 42 is switched OFF,during the time switching device 41 conducts the freewheeling current,the gate of switching device 41 is driven high, allowing thedrain-source voltage of switching device 41 to be simply the on-stateresistance (R_(ds-on)) times the load current. To avoid shoot-throughcurrents from the high-voltage supply (HV) to ground, some dead timemust be provided between turn-off of switching device 42 and turn-on ofswitching device 41. These are the times labeled “A” in FIG. 5 e. Duringthese dead times, switching device 41 operates in the diode modedescribed above. Since this is a short time in comparison with theentire switching cycle, the relative amount of total power dissipationis low. Time “B” provides the dominant loss factor for switching device41, and this corresponds to the low-power mode when switching device 41is fully enhanced. The mode of operation illustrated in FIG. 5 d allowsfor a further reduction in conduction loss, although switching lossesremain unaffected.

In the circuit of FIG. 5, when switching device 42 is switched OFF, allsubstantial current flows through the primary channel of switchingdevice 41 when the gate of switching device 41 remains low (FIG. 5 c) aswell as when it is driven high (FIG. 5 d). This may be preferable to theoperation of the circuit in FIG. 3, for which substantial currentinitially flows through a diode while transistor 61 remains low and onlyflows through the primary transistor channel once the gate of transistor61 is driven high. Diode 11 and parasitic diode 63 in FIG. 3 typicallyexhibit higher switching losses than transistors 41 suitable for use inthe circuit of FIG. 5. Additionally, switching devices 41 and 42 in FIG.5 can be identical or similar devices, which simplifies the fabricationof this circuit.

The detailed operation of the circuit in FIG. 6 is similar to that ofFIG. 5. When switching device 42 is biased ON, such as by settingV_(GS42)>V_(th42), and switching device 41 is biased OFF, such as bysetting V_(GS41)<V_(th41), current 13 flows through inductive load 10and switching device 42, as seen in FIG. 6 b. As shown in FIG. 6 c, whenswitching device 42 is switched OFF, the current through the inductiveload 10 cannot change abruptly, so the voltage at terminal 56 is forcedsufficiently negative to allow the freewheeling current 13 to be carriedthrough switching device 41, and switching device 41 now operates indiode mode. Again, in this mode of operation, current is able to flowthrough switching device 41 even if V_(GS41) is not changed. As with thecircuit of FIG. 5, power dissipation during diode mode operation ofswitching device 41 may be reduced by applying a voltageV_(GS41)>V_(th41) to the gate of switching device 41, as shown in FIG. 6d. Again, some dead time must be provided between turn-off of switchingdevice 42 and turn-on of switching device 41 in order to avoidshoot-through currents from the high-voltage supply (HV) to ground, andso the bias scheme shown in FIG. 6 e is used.

Examples of devices that meet the criteria specified above for switchingdevice 41 are metal-semiconductor field effect transistors (MESFETs) ofany material system, junction field effect transistors (JFETs) of anymaterial system, high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs or HFETs) ofany material system, including vertical devices such as current aperturevertical electron transistors (CAVETs), and bidirectional switchescomprised of the devices listed above, such as those described U.S.application Ser. No. 12/209,581, filed Sep. 12, 2008, which is herebyincorporated by reference throughout. Common material systems for HEMTsand MESFETs include Ga_(x)Al_(y)In_(1-x-y)N_(m)As_(n)P_(1-m-n) or III-Vmaterials, such as III-N materials, III-As materials, and III-Pmaterials. Common materials for JFETs include III-V materials, SiC, andSi.

Preferably, switching device 41 is an enhancement mode device to preventaccidental turn on, in order to avoid damage to the device or othercircuit components. III-Nitride (III-N) devices, such as III-NitrideHFETs, are especially desirable due to the large blocking voltages thatcan be achieved with these devices. The device preferably also exhibitsa high access region conductivity (such as sheet resistance <750ohms/square) along with high breakdown voltage (600/1200 Volts) and lowon resistance (<5 or <10 mohm-cm² for 600/1200 V respectively). Thedevice can also include any of the following: a surface passivationlayer, such as SiN, a field plate, such as a slant field plate, and aninsulator underneath the gate. In other embodiments, switching device 41is a SiC JFET.

A variation on switching device 41, which can be used with any of theembodiments described herein, embodiment is shown in FIG. 7. In thisembodiment, switching device 41 includes a high-voltage depletion mode(D-mode) device 97 connected to a low-voltage enhancement mode (E-mode)device 96 as shown. This configuration for switching device 41 operatessimilarly to the case when a high-voltage E-mode device is used forswitching device 41. When the voltage at node 46 is higher than that atnode 45 and the gate of E-mode device 96 is biased at 0V or below thethreshold voltage of E-mode device 96, D-mode device 97 blocks thevoltage across the switch. This configuration can be advantageousbecause high-voltage E-mode devices are typically difficult tofabricate. The D-mode device 97 is capable of blocking the maximumvoltage drop across the switch, which for high-voltage applications canbe 600V or 1200V or other suitable blocking voltage required by theapplication. Typical D-mode device threshold voltages for high-voltagedevices are about −5 to −10V (D-mode=negative V_(th)). The E-mode device96 can block at least |V_(th)|, where |V_(th)| is the magnitude(absolute value) of the threshold voltage of the D-mode device. In someembodiments the E-mode device can block about 2*|V_(th)|. In someembodiments, the D-mode device can block about 1200V and has a thresholdvoltage of about −5V, and the E-mode device blocks at least about 5V,such as at least about 10V. D-mode device 97 can be a high-voltage III-NHEMT device, and E-mode device 96 can be a Si MOS device or a III-N HEMTdevice. When a Si MOS device is used for device 96, diode 99, which is alow-loss diode such as Schottky diode, can optionally be connectedantiparallel to device 96, as shown, in order to reduce switching lossesby preventing turn-on of the parasitic reverse diode inherent in SiMOSFETs. A similar configuration to the one shown for switching device41 in FIG. 7 can also be used for switching device 42, and theconfiguration may also be used for switching devices 41 and 42 in thehigh-side switch of FIG. 6. More details of the operation of thisconfiguration can be found in U.S. application Ser. No. 12/209,581.

A boost-mode power-factor correction circuit is shown in FIG. 8 a. Thiscircuit is similar to that shown in FIG. 4 a, except that diode 11 hasbeen replaced by a switching device 41 connected to a floatinggate-drive circuit 72. Switching device 41 must meet the samespecifications as switching device 41 in FIGS. 5 and 6. The details ofoperation of this circuit are as follows. When switching device 42 isbiased ON and switching device 41 is biased OFF, as seen in FIG. 8 b,current 13 passes through the load 30 and through the switching device42. The voltage at node 77 is kept sufficiently high by the outputcapacitor 35 so that switching device 41 is in blocking mode, andthereby does not have any substantial current passing through it. Asseen in FIG. 8 c, when switching device 42 is switched OFF, the inductorforces the voltage at node 76 to be sufficiently high such thatswitching device 41 switches to diode mode, and the current 13 thenflows through the inductive load 30, switching device 41, and the outputcapacitor 35.

As with the circuits in FIGS. 5 and 6, conduction losses in this circuitcan be reduced by applying a voltage V_(GS41)>V_(th41) to the gate ofswitching device 41, as shown in FIG. 8 d. However, for this circuit tooperate properly, the timing of the signals applied by gate-drivecircuit 72 to the gate of switching device 41 must be properlycontrolled. There are three cases which need to be consideredindependently. The first, illustrated in FIG. 9 a, is the case where theload current is continuous (continuous mode). The second, illustrated isFIG. 9 b, is the case where the load current is discontinuous(discontinuous mode), such that no current flows during some portion ofthe duty cycle. For this second case, it is also possible that the loadcurrent is negative (flows in the opposite direction through the load)during some portion of the duty cycle. This may occur if there are anyinductive or capacitative components leading into the input of thiscircuit. The third, illustrated in FIG. 9 c, is the case where the loadcurrent approaches zero but then immediately increases again. This modeis known as the “critical mode”.

If the load current is continuous, then the timing of the gate signalsto switching devices 42 and 41 is similar to that of the circuits inFIGS. 5 and 6. To allow the load current to flow through switchingdevice 42, switching device 42 is switched ON and switching device 41 isswitched OFF, as in FIG. 8 b. When switching device 42 is switched OFF,the inductor forces the load current through switching device 41 asshown in FIG. 8 c, and switching device 41 is in diode mode. Whilecurrent flows through switching device 41, conduction losses can bereduced by applying a voltage V_(GS41)>V_(th41) to the gate of switchingdevice 41, as shown in FIG. 8 d. Some dead time must be provided betweenturn-off of switching device 42 and turn-on of switching device 41 inorder to prevent the capacitor 35 from discharging through switchingdevices 42 and 41, and so the bias scheme shown in FIG. 8 e is used.

The current in the inductor can become discontinuous or negative if theenergy stored in it is completely transferred, either to the outputcapacitor or through switching device 42, before the commencement of thenext switching cycle. In circuits where the switching device 41, orflyback transistor, is connected in parallel to the load, such as thosein FIGS. 5 and 6, there is no harm in leaving the flyback transistorenhanced even after the load current has dropped to zero. However, inthe power factor correction circuit of FIG. 8, where the flybacktransistor is between inductor 30 and capacitor 35, incorrect operationwould result from leaving switching device 41 enhanced after the loadcurrent drops to zero, because the current would reverse sign and startdischarging the output capacitor. In such a system, the load currentmust be sensed, either directly or indirectly, and if switching device41 is on, it must be turned off when the current approaches zero. Forexample, switching device 41 can be turned off once the current hasdropped to 0.1%, 1%, 3%, or 5% of the peak current.

The third case, the critical mode, is essentially the same as thediscontinuous mode, with the difference that the switching device 42turns back on as soon as the load current approaches zero. This impliesthat the switching frequency is not fixed, but adjustable, as in ahysteretic controller. The control circuit is therefore very differentfrom the discontinuous case, but the requirement regarding the switchingsequence of the switching devices 42 and 41 is the same. The currentmust be sensed to know when it has approached zero, and switching device41 must be turned off when the current approaches zero.

1. A switch, comprising: a first switching device in series with anassembly comprising a load and a second switching device, the firstswitching device including a gate and a first channel, the secondswitching device including a second channel, wherein in a first mode ofoperation the second switching device is capable of blocking a voltageapplied across the second switching device in a first direction, in asecond mode of operation a substantial current flows through the secondchannel when a voltage is applied across the second switching device ina second direction and a gate of the second switching device is biasedbelow a threshold voltage of the second switching device, and in a thirdmode of operation a substantial current flows through the second channelwhen a voltage is applied across the second switching device in thesecond direction and the gate of the second switching device is biasedabove the threshold voltage of the second switching device.
 2. Theswitch of claim 1, wherein the first mode of operation comprises biasingthe gate of the first switching device above a threshold voltage of thefirst switching device.
 3. The switch of claim 1, wherein the secondmode of operation comprises biasing the gate of the first switchingdevice below a threshold voltage of the first switching device.
 4. Theswitch of claim 1, wherein the first switching device has a firstterminal and a second terminal on opposite sides of the gate, and thefirst terminal is adjacent to the assembly and is at a higher voltagethan the second terminal of the first switching device during operation.5. The switch of claim 1, wherein the first switching device has a firstterminal and a second terminal on opposite sides of the gate, and thefirst terminal is adjacent to the assembly and is at a lower voltagethan the second terminal of the first switching device during operation.6. The switch of claim 1, wherein a first node is between the assemblyand the first switching device, a second node is at a high voltage sideof the switch, and the second switching device is capable of blocking avoltage when voltage at the first node is lower than voltage at thesecond node.
 7. The switch of claim 1, wherein a first node is betweenthe assembly and the first switching device, a second node is at a lowvoltage or ground side of the switch, and the second switching device iscapable of blocking a voltage when voltage at the first node is higherthan voltage at the second node.
 8. The switch of claim 1, wherein thesecond switching device is capable of blocking a same voltage as thefirst switching device is capable of blocking
 9. The switch of claim 8,wherein the second switching device is capable of blocking voltage intwo directions.
 10. The switch of claim 1, wherein when the gate of thefirst switching device is biased lower than a threshold voltage of thefirst switching device, the second switching device is capable ofconducting current.
 11. The switch of claim 10, wherein when the gate ofthe first switching device is biased lower than the threshold voltage ofthe first switching device, all substantial current flows through asingle primary channel of the second switching device.
 12. The switch ofclaim 11, wherein when the gate of the second switching device is biasedhigher than the threshold voltage of the second switching device, thevoltage drop across the second switching device is reduced as comparedto when the gate of the second switching device is biased lower than thethreshold voltage of the second switching device.
 13. The switch ofclaim 1, wherein the second switching device has a positive thresholdvoltage.
 14. The switch of claim 1, wherein the first switching devicehas a positive threshold voltage.
 15. The switch of claim 1, wherein thesecond switching device is a HEMT.
 16. The switch of claim 15, whereinthe second switching device is a III-Nitride HEMT.
 17. The switch ofclaim 1, wherein the first switching device is a HEMT.
 18. The switch ofclaim 17, wherein the first switching device is a III-Nitride HEMT. 19.The switch of claim 1, wherein the second switching device isstructurally the same as the first switching device.
 20. The switch ofclaim 1, wherein a voltage drop across the second switching device issmaller in the third mode of operation as compared to in the second modeof operation.
 21. The switch of claim 1, wherein the load is aninductive load.
 22. The switch of claim 1, wherein the first switchingdevice or the second switching device comprises a high-voltage depletionmode device and a low-voltage enhancement mode device, the secondchannel is a channel of the high-voltage depletion mode device, and thethreshold voltage of the second switching device is a threshold voltageof the low-voltage enhancement mode device.
 23. The switch of claim 22,wherein the low-voltage enhancement mode device is able to at leastblock a voltage equal to an absolute value of a threshold voltage of thehigh-voltage depletion mode device.
 24. The switch of claim 22, whereinthe high-voltage depletion mode device is a III-Nitride HEMT.
 25. Theswitch of claim 22, wherein the low-voltage enhancement mode device is aIII-Nitride HEMT.
 26. The switch of claim 22, wherein the low-voltageenhancement mode device is a Si MOS device.
 27. The switch of claim 26,further comprising a diode connected antiparallel to the low-voltageenhancement mode device.
 28. The switch of claim 1, wherein the firstswitching device comprises a high-voltage depletion mode device and alow-voltage enhancement mode device, the first channel is a channel ofthe high-voltage depletion mode device, and a threshold voltage of thefirst switching device is a threshold voltage of the low-voltageenhancement mode device.
 29. A method of operating the switch of claim1, comprising: at a first time, biasing the gate of the first switchingdevice of the switch of claim 1 higher than a threshold voltage of thefirst switching device and biasing the gate of the second switchingdevice lower than the threshold voltage of the second switching device,allowing current to flow from a high voltage side of the switch to a lowvoltage side of the switch through the load and through the firstswitching device; at a second time immediately following the first time,changing a bias on the gate of the first switching device to be lowerthan the threshold voltage of the first switching device, causing thesecond switching device to operate in diode mode and blocking currentfrom flowing to ground; and at a third time immediately following thesecond time, changing a bias on the gate of the second switching deviceto be higher than the threshold voltage of the second switching device.30. The method of claim 29, wherein changing the bias at the third timereduces conduction loss in comparison to switch operation at the secondtime.
 31. A boost-mode power-factor correction circuit, comprising: afirst switching device comprising a first channel; an inductive load; acapacitor; and a second switching device comprising a second channel,wherein the first switching device is connected to a node between theinductive load and a floating gate drive circuit, the second switchingdevice is configured to be connected to the floating gate drive circuit,and the second switching device is between the inductive load and thecapacitor.
 32. The boost-mode power-factor correction circuit of claim31, wherein in a first mode of operation the second switching device iscapable of blocking a voltage applied across the second switching devicein a first direction, in a second mode of operation a substantialcurrent flows through the second channel when a voltage is appliedacross the second switching device in a second direction and a gate ofthe second switching device is biased below a threshold voltage of thesecond switching device, and in a third mode of operation a substantialcurrent flows through the second channel when a voltage is appliedacross the second switching device in the second direction and the gateof the second switching device is biased above the threshold voltage ofthe second switching device.
 33. The boost-mode power-factor correctioncircuit of claim 31, wherein when a gate of the first switching deviceis biased higher than a threshold voltage of the first switching device,a gate of the second switching device is biased lower than a thresholdvoltage of the second switching device, and voltage at a node betweenthe second switching device and the capacitor is sufficiently high tokeep the second switching device in a blocking mode, current passesthrough the inductive load and through the first switching device. 34.The boost-mode power-factor correction circuit of claim 31, wherein thefirst switching device is a III-N HEMT.
 35. The boost-mode power-factorcorrection circuit of claim 31, wherein the second switching device is aIII-N HEMT.
 36. A method of operating the boost-mode power-factorcorrection circuit of claim 31, comprising: causing a load currentthrough the inductive load to be continuous; at a first time, biasing agate of the first switching device higher than a threshold voltage ofthe first switching device and biasing a gate of the second switchingdevice lower than a threshold voltage of the second switching device,allowing current to flow through the first switching device; at a secondtime immediately following the first time, changing a bias on the gateof the first switching device to be lower than the threshold voltage ofthe first switching device, causing the first switching device tooperate in blocking mode and the second switching device to operate indiode mode, allowing current to flow through the second switchingdevice; and at a third time immediately following the second time,changing a bias on the gate of the second switching device to be higherthan the threshold voltage of the second switching device, whereinchanging the bias at the third time reduces conduction loss incomparison to switch operation between the second time and the thirdtime.
 37. A method of operating the boost-mode power-factor correctioncircuit of claim 31, comprising: causing a load current through theinductive load to be discontinuous; sensing the load current; and whenthe load current approaches zero, changing a bias on a gate of thesecond switching device from a voltage higher than a threshold voltageof the second switching device to a voltage lower than the thresholdvoltage of the second switching device.
 38. A method of operating theboost-mode power-factor correction circuit of claim 31, comprising:sensing a load current passing through the inductive load; causing theload current to approach zero and immediately increase after approachingzero; and when the load current approaches zero, switching the secondswitching device from on to off and switching the first switching devicefrom off to on.